Madness of the Blue Blood Labyrinth - Chapter 18

A perfectly symmetrical cube, small enough to fit in your palm.

The item known as a *Gift Box* among Seekers—a treasure chest with a touch of a jack-in-the-box vibe.

—

“Finding one this shallow in the dungeon is pretty rare. Normally, they show up in the twenties.”
“Interesting. Should we just open it here and now?”

—

The contents of a *Gift Box* remain unknown until it’s opened.

More specifically, the contents are determined the moment the box is opened.

—

For example, there’s a story about someone pulling an ultra-rare item dropped exclusively by creatures in a difficulty 10 dungeon’s deepest layers.

In essence, it’s a gacha with an insanely broad prize pool.

—

“…Of course, there’s always the chance you open it and just get a pebble. Then it’s basically trash.”
“Unopened, it’s worth at least 500,000 yen, right? Humanity really loves its gachas. What a hopeless species.”
“Don’t pretend you’re not into gacha yourself.”

—

Whoa, whoa, whoa, what nonsense are you spouting, dear bunny?

—

“Of course, I’m into it. What do you take me for? I’m a healthy, Earth-born, Japan-raised human who’s kicked plenty of bad guys to the curb. If this wasn’t a creature you killed, I’d have opened it the second I picked it up.”
“Your instant gratification is astounding. Honestly, I don’t hate it, but I can only imagine what your parents went through.”

—

They disowned me, actually. Over just a measly 100 million yen.

…Not that I’m saying I could’ve scraped together that kind of money through legitimate means at barely twenty years old. Unless I hit the lottery or something.

—

Worried I’d give in to temptation and open it, I handed the *Gift Box* to its rightful owner—Rize.

—

She rolled the strange little cube in her palm for a moment. Its surface had a peculiar texture.

Finally, as if making up her mind, she slid a fingernail along the faint seam that appeared on its surface.

—

“Hmm. There’s nothing I want badly enough to sell this for right now. And if I don’t intend to sell it, there’s no point in holding off. Fine, let’s open it.”
“Good call! You’ve gotta eat your favorite dish first when it’s all laid out in front of you.”
“What? Are you one of those people who eats the strawberry on their shortcake first?”

—

“No way!” she said, shaking her head as she blew a bubble with her gum.

Don’t insult me. I save the strawberry for last.

—

But enough chit-chat.

As Rize applied more pressure with her fingers, the sound of cracking eggshells filled the air.

—

Cracks spread across the *Gift Box*’s surface, glowing faintly from within.

The atmosphere grew heavy, serene, almost sacred—reminiscent of the birth of something alive.

—

And then—

—